recipes to live for

I know, I know, it’s the middle of summer. Who wants pot roast in July? This foggy San Franciscan does! A few days ago I had a sudden craving for pot roast. I think it’s because I’ve been eating mostly vegetarian lately and I needed to make up for it. My mom had given me a recipe for pot roast that she’s been making, so I decided to give it a shot. Large chunks of meat are generally not my area of expertise so I was excited to try something new.

Preheat oven to 300°F. Heat a large, enameled dutch oven (or other non-reactive, oven-safe pot) on the stovetop on high.

Sprinkle beef liberally with kosher salt and ground pepper on both sides; rub in. Heat oil (a few tablespoons or so) in dutch oven, then carefully add the beef. Let it brown on one side for five minutes without disturbing it. (Disturbing it will affect its ability to form a good brown crust.) Turn the meat over and brown the other side for five minutes. Remove beef from the pan and set aside.

Add a bit more oil to the pan and then saute onion, carrot and celery until lightly browned, about 8 minutes.

Add garlic, mushrooms, and chili powder to the pan. Cook 3 minutes.

Return beef to the pan, trying to get it underneath the vegetables. Add broth, tomato sauce, red wine, thyme, and bay leaves. Add potatoes and make sure they’re submerged in the liquid. Bring to a boil.

Place in oven and cook covered for 3 hours. Remove cover and cook another 1/2 hour, until beef is fork-tender. There will be lots of liquid, which is delicious sopped up with bread.

I’ve discovered the wonders of soup-making just in time for this ultra-rainy San Francisco winter. It’s so easy and satisfying! There’s nothing quite as lovely than a steaming hot bowl of homemade soup to slurp as the rain drips outside and the heater struggles to keep your home warm.

Toss slices of baguette with a generous amount of olive oil, salt, and garlic salt, to taste. Place on cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Flip each crouton over and bake another 10 minutes, checking to make sure they aren’t getting burnt. Croutons should be golden brown and crispy.

Well, I’ve never actually had Malaysian curry before, so I have no idea how authentic it is — but this turned out pretty damn well. We had some frozen chicken breasts, coconut milk, potatoes, an onion, tomato paste, and a lot of spices. I knew I should be able to throw something tasty together. A quick search yielded this yummy-looking recipe, which I used to base this dinner on.